Swales and garden drainage areas can help direct, slow, and absorb rainwater while adding useful habitat to a garden. Fungi are one part of the living soil community that may support these areas, particularly where organic materials are breaking down and moisture levels vary. However, fungi are not a substitute for good drainage design. Their … Read more
A backyard mycofilter is a small, planted or mulch-filled area designed to slow ordinary garden runoff and help remove some suspended material before the water moves farther through the landscape. It uses fungal-colonised organic material as one part of a wider biological filtration system. Woodchips, straw, soil, roots, stems and vegetation all contribute by slowing … Read more
A rain garden is a planted landscape feature that receives runoff, slows its movement, and holds water temporarily while it soaks into the ground or moves safely toward an overflow route. It is not a pond, nor does it need to remain wet. With suitable soil, plants, mulch, and organic matter working together, a rain … Read more
Garden “waste” is often a useful biological resource waiting to be processed. Fallen leaves, small branches, woody prunings, straw and other suitable plant materials contain carbon and nutrients that can return to the soil rather than leaving the garden’s productive cycle. Fungi are especially important in this process. They are major decomposers of plant material, … Read more
Woodchip beds can be more than a surface mulch. Designed in the right place, a deep layer of woody material can become a living landscape feature that slows runoff, stores moisture, supports decomposition and provides habitat for fungi. It can also help connect water-management areas with trees, shrubs, rain gardens and other planted parts of … Read more
Healthy garden soil is a living system, and fungi are one of its most useful and often overlooked members. Alongside bacteria, worms, plant roots and many other organisms, fungi help turn organic materials into forms that support plant growth and improve the way soil holds air and water. You do not usually need to buy … Read more